"Did you hear? Yesterday, Danzō-sama actually fought against the Hokage."
"I heard too. They say the fight was fierce — the Hokage even used his Mangekyō, but in the end, Danzō-sama sealed him away."
"Why? How could Hokage-sama and Danzō-sama suddenly…"
"Supposedly, Danzō-sama exposed the Hokage's dirty secrets, and then the Elder Council collectively voted for the Hokage to step down. The Hokage couldn't accept this fact, so he started a fight."
"Dirty secrets? The Hokage actually…"
On the streets of Konoha, people gathered in groups, whispering about it. The only topic was yesterday's battle between Danzō and Uchiha Fugaku. Overnight, the news spread everywhere, causing a great uproar.
The rumors emphasized how the Hokage was caught up in a filthy scandal and shunned by all the elders, yet refused to accept the truth and resorted to force. Danzō-sama, unafraid of authority, cleverly used sealing techniques to restrain the Hokage…
The rumors spread quickly. In just a single day, the entire village knew of it. As the main characters of this matter, Fugaku and Danzō became the focus of all attention.
Stories painted the Hokage, Fugaku, as utterly corrupt — descending into evil and depravity, then desperately resisting after being exposed, even resorting to violence…
Meanwhile, Danzō was glorified as a hero of justice, bravely exposing evil, unafraid of power, fighting tooth and nail for "three hundred rounds" before finally managing to seal the Hokage…
With these tales circulating, Danzō — who had once been nearly unknown to ordinary villagers — suddenly soared in reputation, staging a dramatic comeback!
In the past, most villagers only knew there was some "Danzō-sama" among the advisors. But what kind of man he was, or what deeds he had done — no one really knew. Not even many Konoha shinobi were familiar with him.
Most of the middle and lower-level Konoha shinobi only knew that there was a secret organization called 'Root' in the village, and Danzō was the leader of this organization. It was only during the two previous Hokage elections that Danzō got a chance to show his presence in front of everyone.
Otherwise, Danzō was almost unknown to ordinary people in Konoha.
But with Fugaku serving as a massive stepping stone, Danzō instantly became the village's rising star, praised and sung about by the people!
...
In the Hokage's office
Danzō had one hand behind his back and the other on his cane. He looked down at Konoha through the window.
Though yesterday he had angrily accused Fugaku of being a lackey of Kirigakure, the truth was that by leveraging Mist's support, Konoha's recent development had actually gone very well.
The entire village had not only recovered from its previous destruction but even surpassed its former glory, reclaiming — if not exceeding — its title as the foremost shinobi village.
Behind Danzō sat Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado on the left, while on the right were Hyūga Hiashi and Akimichi Torifu.
All five members of the Konoha Elder Council had gathered!
In addition, the heads of the major clans were also present.
"As for the current situation of the village, I believe you all know about it, and there's no need for me to repeat it. The Fifth Hokage is corrupt and depraved, and the war on the front lines is tense. Although the Fifth Hokage's matter has not yet been fully investigated, someone must step up and take on the responsibility of the Hokage at this time."
Danzō spoke directly, without concealment.
"Do you have any suitable candidates to recommend?"
"This…"
Koharu hesitated. Everyone present was at least an elite jōnin, and most were heads of major clans. If a Hokage were to be chosen, it would surely be from among these few.
But… wasn't this too soon?
Fugaku had just been taken down. According to the normal procedure, the Elder Council should jointly hold power for a period of time, and then they would discuss the Sixth Hokage.
But the impatient Danzō was no longer willing to wait!
"It does seem that we need a new leader now, but who can take on this important task at a time like this?" The head of the Inuzuka clan, Inuzuka Tsume, glanced around, then — with a signal from the three heads of the Ino–Shika–Chō clans — he was the first to speak:
"If you ask me… I nominate Akimichi Torifu-sama. What do you all think?"
"Whether in strength, conduct, or in his experience and temperament, Torifu-sama is fully capable of bearing the role of Hokage."
"Torifu-sama is indeed an excellent choice."
"If it were Torifu-sama…"
Before the murmurs could even finish, Torifu himself shook his head and refused directly:
"I am already too old. I will not take part in the matter of the Sixth Hokage. If someone must be chosen for the position… I think Asuma would actually be a fine choice."
Asuma?
At those words, many present were startled, but quickly realized whom Torifu meant.
With Fugaku's downfall, the political resources of the former Third Hokage showed signs of a comeback. Although Asuma Sarutobi had not been very famous during this period, with his identity as the son of the Third Hokage, it was not a problem for him to inherit these political resources.
The only drawback was that, among the younger generation, Asuma was not particularly outstanding. He was… a bit too mediocre.
Still, since Torifu had raised the idea, it prompted discussion.
"Asuma is certainly a good candidate, but isn't he too young to lead the village?" Homura Mitokado spoke softly. "This is an extraordinary time, after all. The seat of Hokage requires someone with enough experience."
Torifu was straightforward — he knew full well that his suggestion would almost certainly not be accepted. The reason he mentioned it was just to give face to his old friend and to let the unknown Asuma re-enter the sight of Konoha's people.
"Then who do you think is more suitable?"
"This…"
"Of course, it must be someone truly suitable."
Danzō spoke evenly:
"The current Konoha is in an extremely special period. The war has not yet ended, and the powerful figures of the shinobi world are eyeing us with covetous eyes. Only someone with enough courage and enough skill can stabilize everything."
"Oh, who is Elder Danzō proposing?" Nara Shikakichi asked in a low voice.
"Konoha has many talented people. There are many people with enough courage and enough skill. Elders like Hiashi and Torifu, and even you, Shikakichi, have the potential to become the Hokage."
"But..." Danzō's calm gaze swept over everyone in the office and said: "I nominate myself to replace Fugaku and become the next Hokage!"
As expected!
At those words, everyone's expressions grew solemn.
Uchiha Tekka seemed like he wanted to speak, but with Fugaku's downfall still so fresh, the wisest choice for now was silence.
The Ino–Shika–Chō, the Inuzuka, the Aburame, and the other clans all remained quiet as well. Although Danzō had claimed that they, too, had the qualifications to contend for Hokage, they knew their own limits — there were things they had best not get involved in.
One by one, all eyes turned to Hyūga Hiashi, silently hoping he would speak.
But under the weight of their gazes, Hiashi sat calmly in his seat, expression unchanged, not saying a word.
And so, in that eerie silence, Danzō became… the only candidate for the Sixth Hokage.
...
"...Did Danzō start acting so quickly?"
On the battlefield of the Land of Grass, after putting the body of a Crystal Release user into a scroll, Hiruzen Sarutobi deeply frowned as he looked at the intelligence sent by Danzō.
After carefully looking through the intelligence in the scroll, Hiruzen Sarutobi actually breathed a sigh of relief.
Although Danzō's actions were a little rushed, the target was only Fugaku. He did not cause much turmoil in Konoha.
In a sense, Danzō's actions were quite restrained.
However, when he saw that Akimichi Torifu had actually nominated Asuma in the scroll, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but find it a little funny.
If his eldest son were still alive, coupled with the political resources he had left behind, he might really be able to be nominated and become the Sixth Hokage.
But Asuma…
When he thought of his son, who had been inseparable from cigarettes and alcohol since he was a child, Hiruzen Sarutobi had a bit of a headache. Other people's children were all talented. Why did he have a good-for-nothing wastrel?
"All the bodies of the bloodline users in this area have been collected."
A figure cloaked in a black robe suddenly appeared beside Hiruzen, speaking in a deep voice:
"It's time to move to the next area."
"Okay, let's go."
Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded slightly and put the scroll into his tool pouch.
But suddenly, as if sensing something, his hand froze mid-motion. At the same time, the black-robed figure lifted his head, his gaze locking onto a spot beneath the ground.
The next moment, countless black threads burst from his sleeves like spears and lances, violently stabbing into the earth.
The ground shattered, revealing the somewhat disheveled figure of White Zetsu below.
"Kakuzu, I didn't expect it to be you!"
White Zetsu dodged the incoming Earth Grudge Fear in a panic and quickly shouted: "Didn't you die at the hands of that guy Yuki Yoru a long time ago? How are you still alive... Hey, don't act recklessly!"
"..."
The person called Kakuzu by White Zetsu did not respond at all. While the Earth Grudge Fear roared, the black-robed figure quickly formed hand seals and shouted in a low voice: "Fire Release: Searing Migraine!"
A scorching hot flame was spat out, but it was blocked by a Wood Release formation wall.
The black-robed figure did not hold back at all. He slammed his hands together, and the black cloak on his body was suddenly torn apart.
Behind him, two masks with black threads came out and lay on his shoulders. One had a red mouth and one had a blue mouth.
They were the Fire Release and Wind Release masks that had been absorbed by the Earth Grudge Fear—
Elemental Combination Jutsu: Violent Flame Hurricane!
The Fire Release mask opened its mouth and used "Fire Release: Searing Migraine", and the Wind Release mask opened its mouth and used "Wind Release: Pressure Damage".
When the two combined, flames scattered and a storm raged, creating a huge sea of fire that surged toward White Zetsu!
"Not good!"
BOOM!
The sea of fire surged, but a powerful repulsive force suddenly burst out from within. Then, the Fire Release and Wind Release masks of the Earth Grudge Fear were directly crushed into pieces by this force.
But the black-robed figure remained calm. The moment the two masks were crushed, two more masks came out from his body. At the same time, a bright light of lightning was also released from his face, which was extremely dazzling.
"How amusing… a complete clone of Kakuzu's power?"
Along with an indifferent voice, Obito, wearing a white mask, used an extremely explosive Shinra Tensei to completely kill the four lives of this one-to-one Kakuzu clone. After suppressing the remaining body with black rods, he finally looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi on the side.
He could clearly sense that the Hiruzen Sarutobi before him was different from the former Third Hokage of the past — yet this Hiruzen was certainly no mere clone. In the other's eyes, he saw a familiar presence.
Moreover, from him he could feel a power nearly identical to his own.
The power of all creation!
"I didn't expect you to also complete the Chimera Technique, Third Hokage." Obito Uchiha slowly spoke. His gaze lingered on the scroll in Hiruzen Sarutobi's hand: "Can you explain the current situation to your partnert?"
Although the cooperation between the two had long ended, the Chimera Technique of Hiruzen Sarutobi was provided by him. It was not a problem to call them partner.
After silently putting the scroll in his hand into his ninja tool pouch, Hiruzen Sarutobi took off his dark hood and looked at Obito with the white mask in front of him.
Perhaps because of the attraction of being a fellow Chimera ritual user, while Obito felt the power in his body, he also sensed the magnificent power on Obito's body.
There was no doubt that Obito had also completed the Chimera Technique, and his power level...
Hiruzen Sarutobi's gaze paused slightly on the ripple-like eyes on the pure white mask.
It was above his!
"As you can see, I'm just here to collect some useless bodies." Hiruzen Sarutobi said with a calm expression. When he spoke, three more figures had already appeared around him, surrounding Obito in a formation.
Fortunately, Hiruzen Sarutobi waved his hand, and the three of them put away their intention to attack, but they still looked at Obito with vigilance.
"Is that so?"
Obito's gaze swept over the three of them without a change in expression. He was slightly shocked in his heart.
Besides the Kakuzu clone, Obito also knew these three people, and they were all famous existences in the shinobi world.
And the most striking among them…
If he wasn't mistaken, that man should have died back during the Third Great Ninja War, slain by Yuki Yoru — one of the Legendary Sannin.
Jiraiya!
Without souls, they could not have been revived through Edo Tensei. Which meant that these were not the originals, but clones.
Judging from the abilities that the Kakuzu clone had displayed earlier, these clones possessed power virtually identical to the originals — perhaps indistinguishable. Coupled with the fact that Hiruzen Sarutobi was collecting these bloodline limit users at this moment, Obito had already guessed the purpose and plan of these guys.
"I must say, I'm curious. After Orochimaru left Konoha, surely Konoha didn't retain cloning technology of this level, did it?"
Uchiha Obito spoke slowly:
"Would you care to explain a little, my 'partner'?"